


Kleptomania

by GeniusBillionarePlayboyPhilanthropist



Series: Kleptomaniacs [1]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games), Thief (Video Game 2014), Thief (Video Games)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Assassins and Theives, Both of them suck at emotions, But it's there, F/M, Garrett is a Grump, Graphic Description of Corpses, Graphic Description of Insanity, Honestly I'm a Shit Writer, I never update lol, I promise, Kleptomania, Little Known Fandom, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Original Character(s), Progressively Worsening Insanity, Rating May Change, Schizophrenia, Slow Burn, Sort of Destructive Romance, Tags May Change, a lot of mental issues, graphic description of violence, not romance focused, nothing is diagnosed cause of the time period, very descriptive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:23:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14493888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeniusBillionarePlayboyPhilanthropist/pseuds/GeniusBillionarePlayboyPhilanthropist
Summary: (First ever OC story.)Mal hated the Eternal City. She hated the streets, the constant fog, and the horrid smell that seemed to linger over every district. But most of all? She hated the so-called Master Thief, Garrett. After the explosion at the Barron's mansion, Garrett disappeared, and things started looking up for the once reputable assassin. Until they didn't.Madness began running rampant throughout the city. The nights were darker, the fog was heavier, and she felt eyes on her. Always.Mal always believed that she had control of her troubled mind. Now... now it was beginning to control her.





	1. Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a shadow. Right?

The moonlight was always beautiful, at least when it wasn’t shrouded by clouds or the dark smoke from the machines the Baron was so fond of. She always loved watching the light cast shadows over the dark city streets. It was the one comfort she had in The Eternal City, the one think she just never got to see in Dunwall. There were more machines in the Empire, and the smoke always blotted out the stars. Tonight, the moon was particularly visible in the darkening sky.

Of course, she might have prefered Dunwall now, even if the moon was hidden. The City was sick, and the soft glow from the moon only revealed the bodies of the dead and dying. Something the people had taken to calling the Gloom, had begun to spread only a few months after the explosion at Northcrest Manor. Then Moira had shut down unexpectedly less than a month ago. With nowhere to quarantine the sick, or a cure for the sickness, there was little to be done to stop it from spreading. She could vaguely make out the shouting of lock down orders; the Watch was closing off the districts, thinking that would somehow keep the Gloom at bay.

The ebony figure cautiously made her way from the Old Quarter, avoiding the Watch as they patrolled. They would be changing the guard soon, which would likely leave the streets unguarded for a short time while they wake up their replacements. Though it was early still, there were to many eyes in her hideout. Watching, staring at her from somewhere just out of sight. The thought made her shiver, and she pulled her wrap tighter around her.

Cold fog was setting in as the night grew darker, and she tilted her head upwards to watch the last slivers of sunlight fading at the top of the clocktower. There was still a ways to go before she reached the Crippled Burrick, but the night had just begun. She had plenty of time to reach the Boxman and do the job he had promised her before the sun rose again.

The Watch was finally changing guard for the night, the streets noticeably emptier than before. Strangely, they are also growing darker. Not from the night; the torches that lit the main boulevards were dimming. Going out, one by one.

Was that, _breathing_ that she was hearing behind her?

_It’s right behind you._

As she turned to look, a pair of glowing blue orbs darted out of sight. They were gone before she could follow them, and a growing feeling of dread began to creep into her bones. She began to walk again, faster than before, but not allowing her mind to drive her into hysteria.

_Creeps on the ground._

Somehow, the night grew darker. Looking up above her, the sky that had just been crystal clear was overcast in a thick layer of clouds. Her heart beat faster, panic beginning to set in. The corners of her vision blurred, tunneling on the cobblestones in front of her as she began to run. _Past Blackfurrow, not far. Just keep running._

_Follows you home._

Another set of footsteps echoed on the wet stones behind her, scraping against the ground with every beat of an unnatural gait. Fear made breathing harder, wheezing gasps struggled to pull in enough air to run. The clocktower courtyard came into sight, and she pushed her legs harder, lungs gasping for air and failing to take enough in.

_Does not make a sound._

As she ran, the woman saw the electric lights above her flicker and die out, leaving the path before her black except for the light shining from under the back door of the Burrick. She could hear nothing but the sound of her own panicked breaths and the loud thumping of feet against the stone.

_Careful when you turn around._

The door was so close now, the dim light beneath the entrance drawing her in. A foot caught on a raise in the stone, something cold grabbed at her ankle as she fell. Momentum carried her forward, slamming her into the cobblestone just before the door. A hand drew her blade and she whipped her head up to face the pursuer, ready to fight for her life. But-

 

Nothing.

There was nothing behind her but a shadow. Her own shadow, so dim from the tavern lights. The electric lights flickered above as the Watch finally arrived for their patrol, lighting the torches as they moved. She could hear them cursing their predecessors for forgetting to light them.

Malissa looked up at the clear sky,  the soft moonlight reflecting off of the tears streaming down her face. _It wasn’t real._

An echoing clatter sounded as her dagger fell from her hand, knees drawing to her chest as her body shook from gasping sobs.

 

 

_It wasn’t real._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have revised this first chapter a couple of times now, as I'm trying to work on being more descriptive. This is also my first ever fan-fiction where there will be an unreliable narrator, AKA the main OC Malissa. She has some serious mental instabilities that stem from some family disorder and hereditary mental disease. No spoilers for now, but I'll be posting side stories that are slightly AU from the story but still sort of telling her background as they go. So if you are interested, read those as they come out. This is a work in progress, and I am constantly revising and changing some parts of this story. Check back for changes if periodically if you're interested!
> 
> I plan for this to get progressively darker as the story continues.


	2. The Master Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mildly descriptive panic attack
> 
> In which, the Assassin meets the Master Thief of the Eternal City.

Mal closed the door silently behind her. Before she could stop them, noiseless, sobbing gasps shook her whole body as she tried desperately to get a hold on her mind. Shaking hands ran through her short, auburn hair, gripping her head tightly as if to keep her very brain from falling apart. The assassin sat there silently, eyes shocked wide behind the green tinted glass, rocking slowly on the hard cobblestone ground. 

_It was nothing. Nobody is after you._ She didn’t believe that was true, not really, but it helped to keep repeating it in her mind. If she could think, then she wasn’t gone. If she wasn’t gone, then she was still here. Still Malissa.  _Nobody is after you._

Her mind regained itself, slowly. _Like always_. 

 

Finally she stood, her aching legs protesting the movement. Mal rolled her stiff shoulders and dirty hands came up to remove her goggles and rub her dry eyes, trying to rid her mind of the thought of those _fingers_. The area behind the tavern was empty, save for the fence who was ever present near the back entrance to the Burrick.

She’d not taken one step before a shadowy figure passed into Basso’s office. Without even thinking, she ran to the entrance and tackled the figure to the ground.

“What the…” Basso jumped up from his desk, startled by the commotion. Mal pulled a dagger while trying to pin down the figure, who she could now tell was a man. Just as she pulled it, he threw her balance, rolled her over and pinned her beneath him, effectively knocking the dagger from her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Mal could see Basso desperately trying to calm the two as they struggled against each other.

She struggled beneath him, but he was stronger than her. He had her pinned to the floor roughly, though not without a good amount of effort. Luckily, years of training made her limbs exceptionally flexible. Mal pushed her knee up between them and shoved the man back, just enough to roll out from beneath him. She quickly grabbed for her dagger, one leg extended behind her ready to sweep her opponent. When she looked back at the man, he had pulled some sort of blunt weapon.

“WILL YOU TWO STOP?!” Finally, the Boxman was able to grab their attention, gripping the edge of his desk with nearly white knuckles. The hooded man spoke before she could, “Basso, you know this crazy woman?” Basso rubbed the back of his neck, but Mal interrupted him, glaring harshly at the leather-clad man. “Crazy?! I was defending my fence!”

“You tackled me!” Mal pushed up off the ground, still clutching her weapon. “I thought you were some sort of thief!”

She knew it was a stupid thing to say. No respectable person associated themselves with the likes of Basso the Boxman unless they were desperate to be scammed. She was glad her mask was still in place to cover her embarrassed blush.

Instead of responding, the man let out a rough laugh, joined by Basso behind him. “Well, you’re not wrong.” His eyes glinted with the flicker of amusement, and... something else.

“Basso, you promised me that you didn’t have another thief on your roster.” Mal sheathed her dagger, prompting the other thief to do the same. Orion might be paying her well, but it wasn’t enough if she was ever going to hire a ship to take her back to Dunwall. She needed the jobs from Basso too.

“Mal, I promise, when I hired you I didn’t. Garrett just got back.” Garrett. No, not Garrett the Master Thief who took all the best jobs in the city and left her scraping for coins. Shit. Malissa could almost feel her hope draining out of her. “Garrett huh? Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” It came out venomous, spiteful, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She’d gone through hell since she arrived in the Eternal City, and it was his fault.

Garrett crossed his arms, and leaned back against the table behind him. “I got better.” And now he was here to take the job Basso had promised to her. Of course, just her luck.

“So, Basso. About that job you mentioned last night…” Maybe she still had a shot at this job. “Mal, was it? Yeah, Basso doesn’t need you anymore.” Garrett cut in before Basso could answer, earning him a piercing glare from Mal.

Both the thieves’ eyes were on the Boxman, both daring him to give the job to the other. “Well…” Basso rubbed his neck again, something Mal knew he only did when he was anxious. “Well what, Basso?” Garrett was pressuring him. He likely wanted this job as much as Mal needed it.

“Look, Mal, Garrett has been working with me for years.” Garrett gave her a smug look. Mal noted with frustration that his face pulled off a smirk with an irritating amount of charm. She wanted to shove that smirking face up his ass. “But, you did leave for a year without telling me where the hell you were Garrett.” The Boxman continued, “Mal’s been picking up the slack since you left, and she’s been doing a damned good job.”

She felt a small swell of victory in her chest, right up until Basso said the next few words. “So you two will just have to work together.”

Both thieves spoke simultaneously, “No.” Mal pointed at her opponent, “Basso there is no way I’m working with this asshole. I finally got a foothold in this city when he disappeared, and I’m not about to lose it.” She couldn’t. It wasn’t something that she could afford, and not just because she needed money.

“Actually, Mal, the job was intended for Garrett. How Orion knew that he was back before I did, I have no idea.” The green eyed thief held up a gloved hand to stop him, “Wait, Orion? _Orion_ gave you this job to give to Garrett?”

Mal’s gaze lit on fire, anger blazed a trail through her mind.

 

_Orion betrayed you._

 

Garrett simply watched the exchange silently, that little shit eating smirk back in place. “I can not believe that bastard.” There was something dangerous in Mal’s eyes as she turned to the Master Thief. “The job is fucking yours. I need to have a friendly word with my possibly former employer.”

After one last burning gaze at Garrett, she stormed out of Basso’s office, straight towards Blackfurrow. Orion had some gods damned explaining to do.

Garrett didn’t stop her when she pushed her way past him. Whoever this Mal was, she was no amateur, and definitely not just a thief. She was dangerous, that much was clear, and Garrett had a feeling he would be seeing her again. Right now, the Master Thief had a job to do before the night ran out.

“So, the job Basso.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a note, not all of these chapters are going to be the same length.  
> I appreciate comments, grammar corrections, and critical feedback!
> 
> Oh! And in case you were wondering, her name is pronounced (Mal-iEs-ah) and not (Mel-iss-ah).


End file.
